Guys, I had an entertaining BREAKTHROUGH last night. You see it was my friend Zoe’s birthday so I suggested we all come over for a catch up. I asked the Birthday girl what she’d like me to cook and she said her favourite thing was tapas…just bring something, bung it in the middle of the table and everyone can pick. Tick! So you know what I did? I asked everyone to bring a plate.
And you know what that meant? I only had to cook one simple thing (deconstructed pumpkin salad) throw 10 plates and settings on the table, whack some flowers in a couple of vases, throw a gazillion tea lights at the table and voila! An instant dinner party for 10 that was DEAD easy.
We put all the dishes on the kitchen island bench and around we went…picking up little morsels of delight that everyone put together.
Not to mention the AMAZING desserts my clever friend Nat baked for us all…
And best of all? We all got to catch up for a few hours picking at food, laughing at conversations that are usually impossible to finish with kids around and enjoyed some time together. The very best kind of entertaining.
I kicked them all out just before 12, finished cleaning up around 1, was woken by Mags around 3.30pm for about an hour and up at 6.30 so I’m a little tired and dusty. But it’s worth every minute of lost sleep – this stuff is good for the soul. Get your mates around mid week and try and do this…go on…it’s not hard! Promise!
Happy weekend to you all…what do you have planned? We have a quiet one ahead (bring it ON) which will be spent very close to the fire indeed. It’s blowing a gale out there today and is FREEZING cold just 5 degrees at almost 1pm…brr!
Hope you all have a good one friends x
So clever! I’m all for entertaining that does’t leave me too puffed to enjoy myself. Adding this to my list of things to do.
A x
It was a great success!
That is such a great idea. I hosted a lunch on Sunday that was supposed to be “pot luck” but ended up doing 80% of the catering. Which I didn’t mind, but this is an awesome way to get around the fear I have of not having enough food!
I’m really looking forward to this weekend. It’s still balmy in Brisbane and I am heading to the Share the Dignity High Tea at fancy Cloudland tomorrow afternoon. Will be a lovely break from normality to recharge the batteries and support a really worthy cause.
It’s husbo’s RDO weekend as well so we can all just hang out and enjoy being together.
I have been knocking out so many of your recipes lately Beth – thank you!!
S xx
Great Sarah! Glad you are enjoying x
Here I am looking at that lovely food and wondering what the tart with strawberries was? It looks like a lemon pie – do you have the recipe, it looks wonderful.
HI Jan, it was a lemon tart my friend made it though so I don’t have the recipe. It was delicious though!
That looks fabulous! Now I just need to find some friends, then I’ll do exactly that! xx
Ha! You’ll get there x
Looks lovely Beth I’m going to have a relaxing one too I agree it is freezing out there❄️❄️
Hope you had a nice weekend Lisa x
wisdom!!! … easy peasy! way to go beth!
everyone is happy to bring a plate!
all looks ab/fab!
love m:)X
I’m getting there Merilyn!
Pot Luck dinners are fun and usually very filling!!
Love seeing a dinner table full of fine friends n food – those long drawn out meals make the BEST memories; those conversations tend to nourish the heart!
Have a wonderful weekend Lovely!
xxx Row
Thanks Row – hope you had a good one x
This has made me so hungry I could cry. Need that pumpkin salad and the caprese please and thank you
When are you moving in?!
We did a similar thing recently and had a neighbours dinner party with an international theme & each couple made a dish from a different country & dressed up in that theme – it was such a great success. We hosted but it was simple like you said with just decorating the table & cooking one dish.
Game changer for me! Love a theme too!
Sounds like the perfect kind of dinner party to me!!! I always choose a “finger food/nibbles” kind of dinner for my birthday. What a fabulous night Beth!
It was a cracker!